


A Helping Hand

by Apparentlynotreallyfinnish



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, Awkwardness, Broken Bones, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Masturbation, Pining, Platonic Sex Acts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-02-01 07:14:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21433282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apparentlynotreallyfinnish/pseuds/Apparentlynotreallyfinnish
Summary: After an accident that that's left Rhett unable to fulfill certain physical needs, he asks for his best friend to help him.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 30
Kudos: 170





	1. Rhett

Rhett was in pain. There was nothing unusual about that; he was used to pain. A sad statement to make, but a true one. With his back problems, psoriasis, and honestly, the things he did for a living, it had made him awfully familiar with all types of pain. But this… this was something new. 

He was laying on his side in the parking lot of their studio and gasping for air. Link had just stopped laughing – after realizing that his stupid prank had caused Rhett to hurt himself – and was running towards him with a horrified look on his face. The few crew members still present after the shoot were in a frenzy, running to and fro and talking loudly on top of each other trying to figure out whether an ambulance was needed.

They hadn’t even been filming anymore. Due to some stupid whim, Rhett had stayed on the set after wrap-up and had been trying to do tricks with the skateboard they’d been using for a game on a makeshift ramp the crew had built on their parking lot. For some reason unfathomable even to him, Link had thought it would be hilarious to see what Rhett would do if he yelled “Catch!” and threw a mic pack at him. Since Rhett didn’t know the pack was already broken, he scrambled to catch it ending up on the ground with enough pain to make him feel like throwing up. 

—

“Next time, please save yourself rather than a piece of equipment, okay? We have a lot of electronics but only one Rhett,” Stevie muttered with a strained voice when they sat in Rhett’s hospital room waiting for the doctor. Link was slouched in a chair, staring out the window, face pale and expressionless. He’d barely spoken after they’d gotten in the ambulance. 

Two broken wrists and a broken ankle was the diagnosis.

When the doctor delivered the bad news, Link buried his face into his hands and his shoulders started to tremble. Rhett tried to lift his hand to comfort him and realized too late he probably shouldn’t be doing that. His pained whimper made Link shudder almost violently and gasp for air. 

With three limbs in casts for the next six weeks, Rhett was slightly worried about how he was going to manage alone in his house. He relayed his concern to Link and Stevie as they walked – or in Rhett’s case, hobbled – out of the hospital later that night.

“Don’t be silly. You won’t be alone. You’re coming to stay at my place,” Link said as if it had already been decided.

“I know you feel bad, but you don’t have to do that,” Rhett said with a dopey smile. The painkillers were effective in both making his pain go away and making his head feel pleasantly fuzzy. “I’ll manage.”

Link scoffed, and soon enough Rhett found himself at Link’s place surrounded by a mountain of pillows, blankets, and treats.

—

For the next few weeks, Link seemed to channel his guilt into making Rhett’s life as easy as possible. Rhett had never been pampered like this. His every whim was fulfilled with almost inhuman patience from a person that was usually quite quick to get riled up over things Rhett would consider minor at most. 

“You good? Need anything else tonight?” Link asked setting a fresh water bottle on Rhett’s bedside table. 

This had been part of their routine since Rhett had been released. Before bedtime, Link helped him shower, which had at first been a mortifying experience for both of them but had soon turned nearly mundane. After that, he helped Rhett into bed and brought him a bottle of water and, without fail, asked if he needed anything else.

On the third night, to release the weird tension that had settled between them, Rhett had asked him if he wanted to tuck him in. Link had turned and done it, pulling the covers over Rhett and fluffing his pillow before giving him a peck on the forehead. The following laughter tore through the tension and after that, the whole arrangement felt more relaxed. 

Until now.

Rhett sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and shook his head. He’d made the decision a few days ago, but every night since then he’d backed down.

_I can’t ask him that, right? It’s too much. It’s too weird._

“Okay. Holler at me if you need anything. Good night,” Link said and was almost out the door when Rhett finally got his mouth open.

“Link, I…” Rhett started. Link turned and looked at him expectantly.

“Yeah, what do you need, buddy?”

“I – Dang it. This is… I can’t…,” Rhett stammered. Link smiled at him.

“Just tell me. It can’t get any more awkward than last night,” he said with a small chuckle. Rhett huffed out a laugh trying to forget a particularly embarrassing incident involving the bathtub and a loofah.

“Oh, I think it can…” he said. Link’s eyebrow rose and he stepped back next to the bed.

“Well, spit it out then.”

“I – I know this is a lot. I mean… you’ve been _so good_ to me. Too good, honestly. I know you feel bad about what happened, but the way you’ve treated me… Shit, Link, I think you might have trouble evicting me when I get these things off,” Rhett said waving his arms showcasing the casts.

“I’ve only done what you would’ve done for me if the roles were reversed,” Link said blushing faintly.

Rhett took a deep breath and steeled himself for what he was about to say.

“Yeah. And I can’t say for sure that I would do what I’m about to ask of you… You can say no! Obviously. I mean… It’s a lot. And it’s…” Rhett was losing steam again. His stomach was churning.

_This is a bad idea. Oh God… No! Say it! Just ask. The worst he can do is say ‘no’._

Link sat on the edge of the bed.

“You’re either about to ask for my kidney or ask me to get you off,” he said laughing and slapped Rhett’s thigh through the covers. Rhett’s gaze whipped to him and he was sure his desperation was showing on his features.

“You’re about to be real sorry you said that,” he murmured, face turning bright pink.

“Oh… Oh, no, Rhett, _please_ say you’re asking for my kidney,” Link said, voice suddenly a bit shaky. His hand moved away from Rhett’s leg and he stared at him, bug-eyed.

“I’m _not_ asking for a kidney,” Rhett whispered and pulled a pillow out of the pile Link had forced upon him and hid beneath it. His face was giving off so much heat, he wouldn’t have been surprised if the pillow caught on fire.

“Shit.” Link sounded equally horrified and resigned.

“Oh, God! I’m so sorry I asked. I can’t do it myself. I’ve tried. I promise I’ve really tried, but I just can’t make it work, my hands hurt too much… And it’s been _so long_. I’m dying here, man. But I get it. I totally get it. It’s too much. I shouldn’t have asked,” Rhett mumbled against the pillow. He wanted to burrow into the bed and disappear. He wanted to take it all back. 

Link was silent.

Then, Rhett felt Link’s weight shifting off the bed and heard his footsteps receding. Rhett peeked from behind the pillow to find the room empty.

_Shit. I didn’t think he’d get mad…_

Rhett was about to cry out more apologies, claim that it was all a bad joke when Link returned. He was holding something, and he sat back down on the edge of the bed. Rhett looked at him, scrunching his eyebrows together in confusion.

“Okay. You’re not allowed to look at me. That’s too weird. Close your eyes,” Link said quietly as he popped open the cap of a tube that Rhett now realized was lube. His stomach clenched and his heart was suddenly pounding against his ribcage.

“Are you serious?” he whispered, voice small and hopeful.

“Yeah. It’s just… I’m helping you out. Don’t think of it as any different than me buttering your toast or buttoning your shirt or whatever. I’m giving you a helping hand, okay?”

“Okay,” Rhett said, nodding his head a little too excitedly as Link pulled away the covers and yanked on the strings of Rhett’s pajama pants to open the knot. Rhett was getting hard already. A mere promise of action was getting him all kinds of excited even though said action would be his best friend giving him the world’s most awkward handjob.

Link’s hand hovered over Rhett’s boxers.

“You… um… You want something specific?” Link asked with a hard swallow. 

“Oh, no! I – whatever you’d do for yourself I guess… Honestly, I’m so keyed up you could probably just blow on it and I’d come,” Rhett said laughing almost hysterically.

Link paused and turned to look at him with wide eyes.

“Do you even hear yourself?”

“What do you…? _Oh!_ Oh, shit! I didn’t…! Oh, God. I didn’t mean that.”

“And you thought this couldn’t get any more awkward,” Link muttered and threw a pillow back on Rhett’s face. “Stay there and stay quiet.”

“Okay,” Rhett whispered, the burn of his face soothed by the cool fabric pressed against his face. 

With a bit of maneuvering, his underwear was pulled down, and without a pause, a slick hand wrapped around his hardening cock. Rhett was glad that Link wasn’t hesitating; the quicker he started, the quicker this would be over and they could maybe return to some kind of normalcy. 

Link’s grip was firm and sure. Rhett’s eyebrows threaded together and his mouth opened to taste the cotton. He couldn’t help himself; his hips rose repeatedly to rut into the deliciously tight and slippery fist. He swallowed down a relieved moan; he’d promised to be silent. The hand started to move with quick strokes.

Rhett sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and bit on it to quell the moans rising from his throat. Even if he hadn’t been in dire need of release, this would have felt heavenly. Link was…

_Fuck. It’s Link! Like for real… Link’s hand is on my cock. And it feels so fucking good._

A shiver ran down Rhett’s spine and he tried to think of something else. He tried to get one of his go-to fantasies going, but it wasn’t happening. The physical sensation was taking up all of his brainpower. 

So, for a while, Rhett was able to concentrate on that, on Link’s soft and slick palm caressing his length. 

But then he started thinking about the man attached to the hand giving him pleasure. Rhett knew what Link looked like when he was concentrating. The image of Link with his lips slightly parted, tongue poking out between them, eyes squinted slightly, brows furrowed slipped into Rhett’s mind and he bucked again as the sweet kind of ache filled his stomach.

The whole situation was fucked up, and if Link knew that Rhett was thinking about him and that it was actually making Rhett harder… Surely, he would feel uncomfortable. Rhett tried to do the right thing – tried to banish the image of Link from his mind.

“Rhett,” Link suddenly whispered and his hand slowed down a bit. Rhett’s heart jumped into his throat. For a second, he was certain Link knew what was going on in his mind. But he couldn’t. It was simply not possible. Right?

“Yeah?” Rhett asked carefully, voice muffled by the pillow.

“I know I asked for you to stay quiet, but…”

Relief flooded Rhett. _Of course, he doesn’t know. I’m being ridiculous._ The realization made Rhett stupidly bold.

“You want me to moan for you, baby?” Rhett asked with a cackle and groaned immediately as a hand slapped him hard on the belly. 

“Stop it!” Link snapped but Rhett could hear the laughter in his voice. 

Link sighed. “I need some feedback. I don’t know if this is doing anything for you. So… _Oh God_, I can’t believe I’m saying this…” Link groaned, took a deep breath and continued. ”Make whatever noises you feel appropriate. Tell me what feels good.”

Rhett moved the pillow and peeked at Link. Link was bright red and was worrying his lip between his teeth. His eyes shifted from Rhett’s face to his cock and then quickly back to Rhett’s face. His blush seemed to deepen.

“Are you sure?” Rhett asked.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I – It feels real good. What you were doing, I mean. More than good.”

“Oh, okay. Good,” Link said letting out a small breath, and a smile crept on his face.

Rhett closed his eyes again. 

Link’s hand moved on him.

With every stroke, Rhett’s mind went fuzzier and fuzzier. He was no longer hidden behind the pillow. His breaths came out mingled with low moans and gasps. Link was good at this. Somehow he was able to decipher from the little sounds what Rhett wanted and change his movements accordingly. 

Link tweaked his technique with such expertise that Rhett couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever done this with someone else. The thought immediately made his chest tighten and ache; a pang of jealousy crushing his heart. The image of Link with another man swam into his mind. 

Link on his knees in front of a faceless stranger, mouth eagerly open as the stranger’s cock plunged into his throat. Link’s eyes rolling back and his hands grabbing the man’s hips for balance. His moan starting deep in his chest and rolling out as the cock slipped out of his mouth leaving a trail of spit and pre-cum on his chin…

Rhett burned with arousal and anger. He couldn’t get rid of the fantasy. It refused to leave his mind and eventually Rhett had no other choice but to let it live there.

It didn’t take long for his chest to start heaving and his moans to grow into rough groans and mumbles.

“Yeah… Keep going. Oh, Go– Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just like that. Almost… Fuck-hnggggg!”

Rhett’s back arched into a tight curve and his curses turned into incoherent whimpers as Link expertly pumped him dry. Rhett’s head was swimming with the release and the following tingling warmth. His body relaxed slowly and he sunk back into the mattress with a small sigh.

“Was that…?” Link asked quietly. Rhett nodded slowly but emphatically. He didn’t dare to open his eyes. As the lingering afterglow started to drain out of him, it was replaced with the burn of humiliation.

He’d actually orgasmed – in front of Link. He’d come by Link’s hand. And worst of all, he’d thought of Link as he came.

“Here. You can get cleaned up,” Link mumbled.

A stack of tissues was pushed into Rhett’s palm and the mattress shifted. In a fit of modesty, Rhett drew the sheet over his bare crotch. As if it mattered at this point. 

Link’s voice sounded from the door. “We’re… We’re just not gonna talk about this. Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Rhett confirmed.

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

The light went out and Link closed the door behind him. Rhett was left in the darkness, his needs finally, blessedly sated. 

But after cleaning himself up and settling back on the bed, Rhett realized that he didn’t feel satisfied after all. 

Rhett felt lonely – and confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for betaing, Mick. ILY! <3


	2. Link

Link slammed his bedroom’s en-suite bathroom door closed and locked it with trembling hands. He was still tugging his pajama pants down when his other hand already wrapped around his aching erection. He closed his eyes and stroked, his pants forgotten half-way down his thighs as he was forced to brace against the wall when the unleashed pleasure rushed through him.

“Oh, Jesus. Oh, fuck. Oh, oh, oh—” His whispered words echoed from the tile walls, and he silently begged that the guest room was far enough away that Rhett couldn’t hear him.

“Oh, God. _Rhett, fuck. _Oh, my—” Link groaned, his tight fist gathering the slick from the head of his cock, moving faster and faster as the images of Rhett’s pleasure played in a loop in Link’s mind. It had been a pure miracle he hadn’t busted into his boxers when Rhett came for him.

_Not _for_ me. No! It wasn’t for you, you idiot! _

Link bit his lip to trap the moans that threatened to burst out as he imagined the way Rhett’s body shook, the way his cock pulsed in Link’s hand, the way his mouth opened into a silent moan at first and then to a belly-clenching groan Link would never be able to wipe from his memory. Not that he even wanted to. He would treasure that sound. Play it back again and again until it was permanently coded into his mind. There would forever be a synaptic path that would be worn from use; from so many recalls, there was no way any other memory could ever compare.

Link imagined hearing that sound with his lips wrapped around Rhett’s girth. He imagined Rhett’s cast-less hands reaching for him, imagined his fingers in his hair. He imagined Rhett calling for him, imagined that desperate sound with his name attached to it.

_You’re gonna make me come so hard. Take my load, baby. Don’t stop. Don’t you dare stop. Link!_

Link wasn’t stopping either; he tugged his hard-as-steel cock with whimpering desperation, so close to coming that his eyes were watering, blurring his reflection in the mirror. As he finally crested the wave of pleasure, his balls drawing up, his thigh muscles tensing, his cock starting to pulse and spurt aggressively in his tight grip, Link turned his head and bit into his arm to quiet the raw cry of his completion.

It took hours for him to come down. That’s what it felt at least. In reality, it was probably more like a few minutes. 

Link wiped the tears off his face and stared into the mirror. The Link looking back was a mess—wide-eyed and ragged, pink-cheeked, and panting still. Link averted his gaze as shame started to burn in his belly.

_Jesus. I hope Rhett never finds out what I think of him._ _How much I want him._

Link cleaned up both himself and the wall he’d painted with his cum. He knew he should’ve showered, but he felt beaten, wrung dry, and was barely able to hobble up to his bed. So, he climbed in, buried himself under a pile of blankets, and fell asleep in minutes.

He dreamed of Rhett. In the dream, Rhett was sleeping next to him, all healed up and perfect. Link was snuggled up next to him, head on his chest as Rhett’s firm hand wrapped around him. Link heard Rhett’s heartbeat as a soft, comforting thrum. Link was safe. Link was home. Rhett whispered something that Link couldn’t hear, and he turned his head to look up at Rhett, but as he did, there was no one there, just an empty bed with a faint hint of sandalwood floating around.

Link woke up with a gasp, his heart hammering in his chest. It took him a moment to reorient himself into reality. He was alone in bed, yes. But Rhett had never been there. Rhett was in the guest room, broken. Broken by Link. 

As his heartbeat calmed down, the guilt of hurting Rhett bloomed inside him again. It had been a near-constant ache inside him ever since the accident. And now it was worse. Because now there was a part of him that was happy, giddy even, that it had happened. A very selfish, despicable part of him was overjoyed over the fact that last night had actually happened and that something he’d been fantasizing about for years had—in a slightly perverted way—come true. He’d made Rhett come. He’d gotten to see Rhett needy and desperate and loopy from pleasure.

But Link reminded himself that it hadn’t been Link Rhett had wanted to be there. Link was just… a helping hand. A means to an end. 

—

Link had promised himself that he wouldn’t talk about what had happened. He’d even made Rhett promise the same. And in the end, he kept his word. But after two agonizing days of fantasizing and wallowing in guilt and shame, he couldn’t stop himself from desiring more.

After the usual evening activities, Link put down Rhett’s water bottle and, instead of leaving the room, sat on the edge of the bed. From the corner of his eye, he could see Rhett frowning in confusion. Tentatively, he settled his palm on Rhett’s thigh and swallowed hard as he waited for Rhett to understand his meaning.

The silence stretched on, and finally, Link had to force himself to turn and look at Rhett. His best friend was staring at him with a stunned look on his face. Neither of them spoke a word, and right when Link was about to get up and escape, rush to his room to lick his wounded ego, Rhett nodded slowly, relaxing back on the bed. Link tried to hide the breath of relief that gusted out of him, but he was sure he failed. 

Hoping that Rhett would interpret the sigh as annoyance or resignment, Link snuck out the bottle of lube from his pants pocket and untied Rhett’s pajama strings just like last time. Blood roared in his ears, a mighty feat since it felt like every ounce of it was also rushing into his groin, plumping up his cock so fast he felt light-headed.

Rhett lay with his arms above his head, looking surprisingly relaxed, and although he kept his eyes closed, he didn’t try to hold himself back this time. As soon as Link took hold of his already half-hard cock, his hips rose from the bed, and he moaned wantonly, sending electric shocks all through Link’s body. Link’s cock twitched needily, and he could already feel a wet spot forming onto his boxers.

It was as good as the first time. Better even. Link stared at Rhett—Rhett’s closed eyes making it possible for him to be greedy with his gaze. He studied how pleasure morphed Rhett’s features, how a change in grip made him squirm and whine, and how his chest rose and fell in quick succession as he came closer to climax. Link took copious notes, hiding them away for later use, for the time when Rhett would be back at his own home, and Link would no longer be able to touch him like this. 

More than once, Link turned his gaze on Rhett’s impressive length and marveled at the ruddy head, glistening with lube and pre-cum, imagined licking and sucking on it, his mind conjuring up the sounds he might draw if he just went for it.

He didn’t, of course. This wasn’t sex. Not really. This was an act of service. An almost ritualized release of Rhett’s sexual frustration and Link’s deep-seated guilt over causing it with his stupid stunt.

As soon as Rhett came, Link slipped away like a thief into the night, eager to take care of the most pressing problem in his pants. But he wasn’t as desperate this time. He took things slowly. He didn’t hide inside his bathroom either. Instead, he lay on his bed, fully nude, and edged himself so long that he barely had enough time to sleep a few hours before their day began again.

As quick as that, a new normal settled between them. Still, they didn’t speak about it, but Link sat on the edge of Rhett’s bed every few days, settled his hand on Rhett’s thigh, and watched in awe as his pajama pants started to fill up as if a bell was rung. 

And every time Link got Rhett off, he made himself cum--sometimes more than once--feeling less and less guilty about it. He was sure Rhett would be disgusted if he found out how hot jacking him off made Link. And he was even more sure that this was as close as he would ever get to his fantasy of having Rhett in his bed, of having Rhett as his own, of sharing more than a job and a friendship. 

So, Link let himself fall, let himself revel unabashedly in the depravity of it all. For a few short weeks, Rhett had to surrender himself to Link’s care and Link made damn sure to make the best of it, ignoring the gnawing fear of how he could ever go back to the way they’d been before the accident.


	3. Rhett

Rhett knew what he was doing was wrong. Well, more like what he _wasn’t _doing. 

His wrists were practically healed. He had a doctor’s appointment the next day to get the casts taken off. He would’ve been more than capable of pleasuring himself a couple of weeks ago. A fact he’d purposefully neglected to tell Link.

The thing was, he didn’t want Link to know. What he wanted was Link’s touch. Rhett craved it. Had been craving it ever since that first awkward night. If he were foolhardy enough, he’d ask Link to do it every night. _A couple of times/_ a night. Maybe he’d even ask whether Link would let Rhett touch him back. But of course, he didn’t. He couldn’t because then Link would know that it wasn’t just an unfortunate convenience anymore. Link would know Rhett wanted him. __

_ __ _

The whole day, Rhett had been afraid that Link would skip his usual silent proposal. Link knew the casts were coming off the next day. He should’ve put two and two together and realized Rhett no longer needed his help in this matter. But Link was a creature of habit, and to Rhett’s infinite relief, after setting his water bottle down on the nightstand, Link sat on the edge of the bed and once again, put his hand on Rhett’s thigh. 

_ __ _

His touch was more tentative than usual, an unmistakable tremor transferring from his hand to Rhett’s skin, and it gave Rhett pause. As his cock filled with a hot rush of blood and pressed against his pajamas’ worn fabric, Rhett studied Link’s expression more carefully, trying to see whether he was uncomfortable with what he was suggesting. Or at least,_ more _uncomfortable than during the past few weeks.

_ __ _

But since Link looked more or less normal, Rhett nodded. Link’s shifted his body and sighed as he often did after Rhett expressed his assent. The sigh always resulted in a pang of guilt in Rhett. Link was going above and beyond, and Rhett was taking advantage. He couldn’t even imagine how Link would feel if he knew what Rhett fantasized about when Link’s hand was on him. Disgusted? Betrayed? Angry?

_ __ _

However, the stab of apprehension was gone as soon as Link’s hand moved from Rhett’s leg to ghost over his bulging crotch. Link pressed his palm on Rhett’s erection and rubbed along its length as he reached for the bottle of lube that now lived on the nightstand next to the guest bed. 

_ __ _

Rhett hadn’t bothered with underwear; it had been a superstitious move born out of hope that the ease of access would somehow improve his chances of getting this one last go. He heard Link huffing in amusement as he pulled down Rhett’s pants, and his dick sprung free, smacking against his stomach with a soft swat.

_ __ _

“Just making things easier for you,” Rhett quibbed, his voice a bit too husky for the jokey banter he was going for. Link rolled his eyes, but said nothing back. 

_ __ _

The familiarity of Link’s grip was like a drug to Rhett. His eyes slipped closed, and he let out a whine and a satisfied groan when Link wrapped his skilled fingers around his shaft.

_ __ _

“Oh, fuck, yes,” Rhett muttered, the need to censor himself forgotten weeks ago. He threw his arms over his head and pressed his cheek against the silky pillowcase, rubbing himself against it like a touch-starved puppy. His hips jerked and rolled, and he waited for Link to start moving his hand. He didn’t usually take this long to get going, but now he was just holding Rhett’s cock, fingers wrapped around the base tight enough for Rhett to feel his blood pulsing up his shaft.

_ __ _

“Rhett,” Link rasped and Rhett’s eyes flew open, fear returning with a force of a tropical storm. Link was about to say they shouldn’t do this. He was about to call Rhett on his bullshit. Rhett sat up in a panic, and Link’s grip loosened.

_ __ _

“Y—yeah?” Rhett replied, voice shaky and small. Link’s Adam’s apple bopped wildly as he swallowed once, twice, no, three times, before he managed to speak again.

_ __ _

“I’ve been thinking—”

_ __ _

_No! Stop thinking! Stop talking! Touch me! Make me come! _

_ __ _

A part of Rhett wanted to kick himself. Could he be any more selfish?! But the part that needed Link to shut up and get on with it was stronger. 

_ __ _

“Just this once,” he heard himself saying—begging really. “Just one more time. Please, Link, I—”

_ __ _

Link’s head snapped up, and he looked at Rhett with surprise, interrupting him.

_ __ _

“No! I wasn’t— It’s not that. I didn’t mean… I was asking—” Link stammered. He took a deep breath and continued more steadily. “Nevermind. Lay back.” Link’s pushed down on Rhett’s chest, guiding him gently back down on the bed. Rhett surrendered to Link’s firm hand and slowly closed his eyes. He couldn’t calm his racing heart, though. Something was wrong. Something had changed.

_ __ _

Link’s lubed-up fist moved with familiar determination, and for a moment, Rhett’s mind went blank. His body shivered with pleasure, and he cursed and shimmied on the bed to get to a better position. The tight, slick strokes made Rhett’s skin buzz, and a movie reel of fantasies started in his mind.

_ __ _

Link on his hands and knees, begging for Rhett to mount him, to own him, to ravage him. Link in white stockings, garter-belt and all, squirming on Rhett’s bed, the outline of his hard cock tantalizingly visible through the lacy underwear. Link thrown over the kitchen island, his pants around his ankles, fucking his own ass with his fingers, pleading for Rhett to take their place. Link kneeling in front of him, sucking him off, cock so deep in his mouth that Rhett’s coarse, trimmed hair tickled Link’s nose. Link riding him, sweaty and out-of-breath, moaning Rhett’s name. Link naked and willing. Link. Link. _Link!_

_ __ _

“What?” Link’s voice cut through Rhett’s fantasies and feeling slightly confused, Rhett opened his eyes and peered at him questioningly.

_ __ _

“_What_ what?” he asked back, making Link frown.

_ __ _

“You said my name,” Link informed him and as soon as Rhett understood what Link was saying, he wished for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. In his dizzying desire, he’d actually called for Link instead of just thinking about it.

_ __ _

“I—” Rhett started, but he couldn’t think of how to explain. His dick was throbbing in Link’s grip, and his mind was still filled with dirty images of his best friend presenting his naked body for Rhett to use as he wished. Reason had left Rhett and given no forwarding address.

_ __ _

“_Link_,” Rhett said again, tasting the name on his lips, rolling it around in his mouth, to test how it felt when he coated it with his newly-found desire. 

_ __ _

Link’s eyes widened—he’d heard the difference. Rhett’s hand had somehow migrated to Link’s knee and Rhett squeezed it in desperation, hoping against hope that Link would understand that he couldn’t help himself, that he was too far gone.

_ __ _

Link’s gaze dropped to Rhett’s hand, taking in the firm grip, understanding the truth Rhett had been hiding.

_ __ _

“Why—?” Link started, but his voice broke into a gasp as Rhett did the most reckless thing he’d done in his life. He moved his hand up Link’s thigh. Every inch felt like an eon. Rhett waited for Link to slap his hand away, waited for him to jump up and leave the room, cursing Rhett’s name.

_ __ _

But when, after a small eternity, Rhett’s trembling palm reached its destination, palming Link’s impressive erection, Link did the unthinkable. He threw his head back and let out a guttural moan. 

_ __ _

“_Rhett._” 

_ __ _

The way Link said his name filled Rhett’s chest with an aching warmth and made him growl like an animal in heat.

_ __ _

“Link, please, I need you,” Rhett mumbled, swallowing around the lump in his throat. Rhett found the head of Link’s cock through the pants and rubbed it with his thumb until a wet patch soaked through the fabric. Link’s body went slack and he let go of Rhett’s dick, leaving it throbbing and dripping pre-cum all over his lower belly. 

_ __ _

Rhett felt like crying. He felt like screaming. He felt like tearing apart a thirty-five-year friendship to see whether, from the wreckage, they could build something new.

_ __ _

“Come here,” Rhett pled. 

_ __ _

It happened in an instant. There was a blur of clothes flying on the floor and bedding tugged and pillows moved, and then there was a warm body pressed against Rhett on the bed. 

_ __ _

Rhett blinked repeatedly, refocusing his gaze on Link’s face that was suddenly mere inches away. Link’s eyes shone bright blue and cautious. 

_ __ _

“Touch me again,” Link whispered, his voice thick with emotion. Rhett reached between them and caressed Link’s shaft with one finger. Link’s brows threaded together and his lips parted to release a needy throat sound that made Rhett’s forgotten cock twitch against his stomach.

_ __ _

“Tease,” Link groaned and as Rhett’s lips quirked into a smile, Link grabbed Rhett’s waist and turned him on his side. Rhett didn’t have time to wrap his mind around the apparent hunger in Link’s eyes or the way he sucked his bottom lip between his pointy teeth, because suddenly, Link’s swollen cock pressed against Rhett’s. Link was gorgeously hard—a burning-hot rod of steel thrusting against Rhett's weeping cock. The mere thought that such an impressive erection might be somehow due to Rhett took his breath away.

_ __ _

For a beat, neither of them spoke, neither of them moved or even breathed. There was naked fear in Link’s eyes, and to ease it, Rhett tilted his hips, rubbing his shaft against Link’s. In pure awe, he watched Link’s eyes fluttering closed as he let out a harsh moan.

_ __ _

“Yeah?” Rhett whispered, his belly tight with heat, maneuvering his arm under Link’s shoulder and pulling him closer. “You like that?”

_ __ _

“Mmhmm,” Link hummed, rolling his hips to mirror Rhett's movements.

_ __ _

“Me too,” Rhett murmured before tilting his head and slotting their open mouths together. Link gasped and Rhett devoured the noise, tentatively tracing Link’s bottom lip with his tongue. Link met Rhett’s tongue with his own and deepened the kiss.

_ __ _

After that, it was pure chaos. Link’s slick hands wrapped around both of their cocks, stroking and twisting and rubbing them together. Rhett had never felt anything like it. Their bodies moved in desperate desire to bring the other one to the edge of pleasure as they kissed until both of them were light-headed from the lack of oxygen.

_ __ _

“Need you,” Link whimpered against Rhett’s lips as they drew panting breaths, their hips still moving, stuttering, jerking, seeking more friction from each other. The lube from Rhett’s cock was smeared all over Link’s, and there was no saying who was leaking more pre-cum as they thrust into Link’s slippery hold.

_ __ _

“Need you more,” Rhett groaned back, already feeling the tell-tale signs of his approaching orgasm. “Wanna be inside you. Wanna fuck that perfect ass of yours. I bet it’s like heaven. I bet you're so tight and hot for me that I’ll lose my mind. _Fuck!_ Wanna make you cum while my cock’s buried so deep inside you that I’ll feel your orgasm before you do. Jesus, Link, what have you done to me?”

_ __ _

Link let out a cry, whipping his head back, his moves growing more frantic, his slick cockhead rubbing desperately against Rhett’s shaft. Rhett took the opportunity to latch his mouth on Link’s gorgeous neck, licking and sucking on it as they rutted their cocks together, the slick sounds of sex filling the small room.

_ __ _

“Want that. Rhett, _oh god_, I want you so much. Make me yours.”

_ __ _

Rhett pulled Link tighter against himself, kissing his way up, and pressed his forehead against Link’s.

_ __ _

“You already are,” he husked, suddenly knowing it to be true. It was evident in the way their bodies fit together. The way Link’s hot breath felt against Rhett’s skin. The way every sound coming from Link’s mouth made Rhett feel more alive than he’d ever felt before. This was always meant to happen. He’d been oblivious to it before, but something in Link’s gaze told him that he’d already known.

_ __ _

“I—” Link gasped for air, and Rhett felt Link’s cock twitching against his. “—love you,” Link grunted as hot come spread over his hands and Rhett’s stomach and Rhett’s cock, mixing with the lube and pre-cum already drenching their lengths. Link’s whole body shook, and Rhett almost missed his own orgasm while marveling at how Link’s back arched and how his legs kicked against the mattress and how his bottom lip quivered as he spilled his come on Rhett for the very first time. Hopefully, the first of many, Rhett thought as he came with less fanfare, announcing his culmination with a low grunt as his abs clenched deliciously and his toes curled from the exploding, pulsing pleasure. 

_ __ _

“Oh, fuck, yes. Just like that. Come for me, baby. So flipping hot,” Link mumbled as he gently pumped them both dry before slumping against Rhett’s sweaty chest.

_ __ _

They were quiet for a long time, listening to each other’s slowly calming breaths and racing hearts. Then finally, Link lifted his head and looked at Rhett cautiously.

_ __ _

“I’m—” he started.

_ __ _

“If the next words from your mouth are ‘_I’m sorry’_... I’ll want a divorce,” Rhett deadpanned, hoping to break the tension and make Link laugh. He succeeded and reveled in the crinkling of the corners of Link’s eyes as he let out an uncontrollable giggle. The smile spreading onto Rhett’s face made his cheeks hurt, and he reached to brush a lock of hair off of Link’s face. Link’s laughter stopped short, and his eyes turned glossy.

_ __ _

“I meant what I said.” Link’s voice trembled with determination. “I _do _love you. I’ve loved you for a long time, and I know—”

_ __ _

“I love you too,” Rhett interrupted, letting his thumb caress the curve of Link’s bottom lip. So soft. So kissable. How had he never realized before?

_ __ _

“No, I know that. What I mean is—” Link said, frowning.

_ __ _

“I know what you mean, baby. And I think I’ve loved you for a long time, too. I just didn’t know it.”

_ __ _

“You—” Link squinted at Rhett, making him burst into a laugh.

_ __ _

“How many times have you told me that I’m not in touch with my emotions? This can’t come as a surprise to you.”

_ __ _

Link tilted his head and studied Rhett as if looking him from a different angle might reveal the truth.

_ __ _

“Hmm. You might be right. I’m not sure I believe you, though.”

_ __ _

Rhett cupped Link’s jaw and pulled him into the most tender kiss before saying, “That’s alright. I have the rest of our lives to convince you.”

_ __ _


End file.
